Cruelty
In The Bible?

Are people punished for mere disbelief?

THE CLAIMED
CRUELTY:In the New Testament, God became far worse
in regard to imposing excessively severe punishments. It would be hard to imagine
anything more cruel and disproportionate than punishing people with eternal torture
for mere disbelief that Jesus was the son of God.

The
inability to believe that proposition harms no one, and it has been disbelieved
by some of the greatest benefactors of humanity. Nonetheless, God promises to
punish them and all other nonbelievers with the most horrible pain conceivable.

Let's get right to the root of this one... why are people punished in
hell (the eternal lake of fire).

Yes, they only way to be saved
from the eternal lake of fire (hell), is to fully believe (trust) that Jesus Christ
paid your penalty for sin in full. If you are not believing in Jesus Christ, then
you will spend eternity in hell.

But there is more to story... a lot more.
Let's answer a few questions:

Is punishment with "eternal torture"
excessive or disproportionate?

Is eternal punishment the consequence for
mere disbelief?

If you don't believe in Jesus, is that harmful?

Is
the fact that some of the greatest benefactors of humanity did not believe of
any significance?

Let's get started..

Is punishment with
"eternal torture" excessive or disproportionate?

No, it is not.

A
typical analogy that is brought up is that of a child disobeying their parents.
The parents tell them to clean up their room, and they don't do it. As punishment
the parents hold the child's hand over a hot stove until his hand has a burn.
Is this a fair punishment, or is it excessive and disproportionate?

It is
excessive and disproportionate... not at all appropriate.

So why then, is
it okay for God to burn someone in eternal hell forever, just because they disobeyed
Him?

The problem with this is that this is an apples to oranges
comparison. The severity of the punishment is related to both the severity
of the "crime," AND the person against whom the "crime" was
committed. Here is an example:

Let's say a tell a lie to my three-year-old
son. What are the consequences? There are none.

If I tell a lie to my wife,
there may be consequences. I may spend the night on the couch.

If I tell
a lie to my boss, I could very quickly become unemployed.

If I lie to a
grand jury, I could find myself in jail.

In each case the offense
was the same, a lie. But, the consequences increased because of who the
offense was against. To lie to a grand jury is a much more serious offense than
to lie to a three-year old child.

Sin is an offense against the perfect,
holy, eternal, creator God who has given us everything we have, and who continually
upholds the entire universe. This makes the offense infinitely serious, and the
punishment is appropriate in being infinite.

So eternal torture is not excessive
or disapropriate... it is the just and appropriate punishment.

Is eternal
punishment the consequence for mere disbelief?

Yes and no. The problem
is the use of the word "mere." It creates a loaded question in which
the answer is presupposed. By adding the pronoun "mere" the act of disbelief
is made to seem insignificant or inconsequential. The truth is, disbelief in this
case is the most significant and consequential act of every human beings life.

In
addition, the entire question is worded in a way such as to make "disbelief"
seem to be something minor... of no significant consequences. That may be true
in some cases, but not when it concerns you and your relationship with Jesus Christ.

I
just checked out a web site that list the top 20 foods that are bad for you. At
the top of the list are sugary drinks (soda) and pizza. If I don't believe what
the web site says, what are the consequences? I'll have a number of enjoyable
meals and I may die very slightly sooner... if I'm not killed in a car crash or
some other accident. As far as I'm concerned my disbelief in this case does not
have significant consequences.

However, if you choose to not believe in
Jesus Christ the consequences are significant and eternal. If fact this is the
ONLY decision that has eternal consequences. So this is not "mere" disbelieve.
It is the most significant decision you'll make during your entire lifetime.

Why?

Not
believing is the ultimate sin. Why? Because it is belief that saves you from the
just consequences for having disobeyed God. If you believe in Jesus Christ, trusting
Him to pay your penalty for sin in full, then He does that... as a free gift.

Here
is an analogy:

Let's say that I've committed a serious crime. I
was caught and I'm in a courtroom standing before a judge. The judge says the
fine is one million dollars, or life in prison. I can't pay that huge fine, so
I'm off to prison. Why am I going to prison? Because I committed the crime.

Then
someone comes into the courtroom, pops open a brief case full of cash, and offers
to pay my fine. If I accept their offer, I go free. If I don't believe they really
intend to pay my fine, so I decline their offer, I go to prison. Why am I going
to prison? Primarily because I committed the crime... but also because I didn't
believe and declined the offer that would have saved me from prison.

It
is the same with God. We are guilty. There is no doubt we have broken
God's law. Then Jesus walks into the courtroom and offers to pay our
"fine." If we believe Him and accept His offer, we go free. If we decline
Jesus' offer, we must pay the penalty we've earned.

So yes, eternal punishment
is the consequence for disbelief, because it results in our having to pay the
just penalty we've earned for everything we've done wrong.

If you don't
believe in Jesus, is that harmful?

Yes. That would seem to be obvious
from the previous question. Not believing in Jesus has eternal consequences...
it is very "harmful."

But, I think the humanists are again trying
to flip the question to be about something other than what it is truly about.
They are exclusively referring to simply this physical life. So let's answer their
take on this question: Can people not believe in Jesus, and still have a good
life here on earth? Yes, of course they can -- based on a human definition of
having a "good life." In fact, becoming a Christian in many cases brings
more problems and troubles into a person's life.

You
will be hated by all because of My name [Jesus speaking] - Matthew 10:22

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted. - 2 Timothy 3:12

So yes, you can
have what is commonly called a good life... be very wealthy... have a wonderful
family.... have everything you could ever want... and give a lot to charity to
help other people... and still spend eternity in hell. In the end. No matter how
"good" your life on earth was, the result of rejecting Jesus is always
the eternal lake of fire. Why? Because you are not good. (Take the Good
Person Test.)

There is none
righteous [good], not even one. - Romans
3:10

For all have sinned - Romans 3:23

Is
the fact that some of the "greatest benefactors of humanity" did not
believe in Jesus of any significance?

First I need to know who
they are talking about, and what did these "benefactors" do to help
humanity? Do they include some of the most best known humanists such
as Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot? And where does Jesus come on their list of benefactors
of humanity?

I did a Google search to learn who humanity's greatest benefactors
have been. Google responded with a list based on the amount of money given. Names
such as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and George Soros came up. But, I don't think
money determines whether or not a person was a benefactor of humanity. Don't you
think it would be important to know how that money was used? Google is not going
to be any help.

BUT... to get to the answer: no matter who the person
was, or what they did, other than Jesus Christ, being a benefactor of humanity
is of no significance. It is not relevant. Atheists can do good things,
based on human standards. So what? Good works and generosity do not open the gates
of heaven. You still have the problem of sin. No matter how much "good"
someone has done, that does not negate the fact that they have disobeyed God.

Let's once again put me in a courtroom. I've committed a very serious crime
and the judge is about to sentence me. "But," I say, "look at all
the good I've done. I've provided homes for the homeless. I've provided computers
for disadvantaged children. I've built dozens of free clinics. I've funded political
causes supporting justice. Look at all the good I've done, judge you should let
me go free."

Will the judge set me free? Not if he
is a good judge. Our good works do not excuse our breaking the law. Our good works
do not remove the penalty we've justly earned for disobeying God. We are created
in the image of God, and to misrepresent God in any way (by lying, stealing, lusting,
etc.) earns us the just penalty of eternity in hell.

We all have sinned
and are facing the just consequences we have earned... eternity in the lake of
fire. Whether you are a poor person just barely getting by, or a wealthy "benefactor"
of humanity, both are in exactly the same situation. Without Jesus Christ you'll
spend eternity in hell.

Conclusion: People are punished
as a consequence of their sin. That punishment is just and fair. Everyone has
sinned and falls short of the glory of God. The only way out is to repent and
trust Jesus as having paid your penalty for sin in full (believe).

Next
humanist accusation:Gods Violence Incites
Human Violence

A serious problem with the violence
and injustice in the Bible is that, all too often, the teachings and example of
the biblical God have incited cruel acts by his followers.

Many
of them reasoned that since God, who is considered just and loving, committed
or approved of the most brutal acts, good Christians need not have qualms about
behaving likewise. Such logic led the American patriot Thomas Paine to say, The
belief in a cruel god makes a cruel man.